The present invention relates to a dual capability tensile testing machine for testing specimens both in the open environment and in solution.
By way of background, there are in existence tensile testing machines which are designed to test specimens in the open environment, but these same machines are not capable of evaluating mechanical properties of materials in temperature-controlled solutions for maintaining specimens continuously wetted or for allowing chemical reactions to take place thereon. Mechanical testers may be modified to perform tests in solution, but such modifications are generally very expensive because the original design of presently available testers, insofar as known, is not amenable to such modifications. Complete materials characterization often requires comparing the behavior of specimens exposed to specific chemical environments with that exhibited under open environment conditions.